The present invention relates to improvements in an 1 assembly apparatus with a succession of work stations for assembling, or working on, workpieces and parts.
Austrian Pat. No. 350,470 discloses such an apparatus wherein the work stations are interconnected modules forming a structural unit. Each work station is equipped with its own conveyor means for the workpieces and parts or for pallets carrying the same as well as manipulating means for assembling, or working on, the workpieces and parts at each station and, optionally, means for feeding the parts thereto. The length of the path of the conveyor means in each work station usually corresponds to a multiple of the length of the workpieces or pallets to be conveyed. The work stations may be so constructed or arranged that the conveyor means extend into two parallel paths. Transverse conveyors are arranged at head stations to transfer the workpieces or pallets from one conveyor means path to the parallel path. While such an assembly line has been quite successful in practice, it has not been possible to take into account, or take advantage of, all possibilities encountered in assembly operations.